


Kaneki Ken's Theory of Cannabalism

by Samajako



Series: Everything tastes different [1]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: AU, Aternate Universe, Different Backstories, Friendship, Ghouls being ghouls, Murder Mystery, Mystery, bloodthirsty touka, hide being a good friend, kaneki being stupid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 09:04:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17915879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samajako/pseuds/Samajako
Summary: Disappearing ghouls and humans, all slowly leading back to the members of Antieku. Is it the work of coincidentally murders? Or is it someone eating them all? Kaneki, Touka, and Hide all spend their days away as the murders draw even closer to take them apart. The three face different people and gain different understandings as things do not go the way they did originally.AU Characters have different backstories to be revealed.





	1. Touka's Theory of Fighting

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I have had this stuck in my computer for a long time, so I'm deciding to post it and be rid of it. Hope you enjoy. Comment if you want please.

1; Theory of fighting

Touka had to admit, but she really enjoyed the thrill of fighting. Just fighting. Nowadays though, she didn't have the stomach to kill in cold blood anymore.

Ever since the weakling (Kaneki) joined, her daily life had become a bit more interesting. Touka had seen lots of terrible fighters, but she had never seen anyone with such a pathetic fighting spirit. It was the worst kind of fighting spirit for a ghoul to even possess. But he wasn't really a ghoul was he? Or whatever moral dilemma he was in, fighting was important, but he wasn't a fighter. Pity the kid was more into reading, lecturing, running around proclaiming that morality was an issue for ghouls and humans alike.

Touka sighed as she wiped down the tables and the bars at Ateiku. The night was especially chilly tonight, and barely anyone was out. It was a weekday so business had been extremely slow during the night; weekday hunting was the best for those who didn't rely on Ateiku. The silence and the smell of coffee was comforting and managed to lull her into Touka's more sentimental moods. She was also sneaking peaks at the open textbook perched on top of the counter, memorizing the science questions. Finals were coming up soon and that meant Kaneki barely popped his head in anymore.

"Touka, you're free to go." Manager said. Touka nodded in response and started gathering her textbooks and walking home. She changed into her regular clothes and stepped outside from the warm cozy cafe and regretted it. There was nothing but biting cold for her outside the door. She crossed her arms and started jogging down the street holding tight to the books. After taking the subway and looking at the street signs she reached a familiar sight. By the time she made it to her apartment, she was tired and cold. Sighing, she ramped the ac up and snuggled into her bed.

Mere seconds later she opened the textbook grabbed a notebook and found a pencil and started scratching out notes. However the pencil grew more slower and slower, and Touka felt her head droop before blinking the sleep out. The warm bed was ever so comforting and soft. . .Touka woke up to the sound of her phone alarm ringing and her face planted into the textbook. Frantic she started readying and packing her bag while gingerly adding a complementary sandwich, which she looked at with distaste, and started rushing to school.

School was horrible. Yoriko's food was horrible as ever, the tests dragged on, and by the end of the school day she was pretty close to playing hooky and running off to the sunset. Every single day was a torture. You went in with a bunch of delicious humans, had to eat nasty human food, be forced to study human studies. It was a mental fight, to adapt and fit in. It grated on her very nerves, burned in her. It made her question the point of coming in, to be something she wasn't. It was fighting to fit in, to win through stealth and cleverness, not by brute strength. Only the strong survive the fight.

Yoriko was a caring friend, but she wasn't the friend she could have or tell things too. At least, she was a purpose of returning. Every successful day she would see Yoriko's soft and kind face. A face that didn't realize it was talking to a predator, something that could kill her in a blink of an eye. This was what winning meant, for humans to be kind to her, to be unaware of how much she loomed over them. She could massacre the entire school in a heartbeat. But she didn't. She was fighting.

"See you later Touka! We have another math section on Thursday." Yoriko shouted as they parted ways at the road and Touka waved back, smiling softly. Yoriko had been more busy lately and her dishes had been dropping in quality since testing started, a blessing in disguise. Just one thing Touka had to thank finals for. Yet, Touka still had to take tests and do well, so really it was one heck of a horrible disguise.

Today she had a day off, thanks to everyone at Ateiku cheering on the school attending ghouls. Kaneki had a legitimate excuse besides being stabbed in the stomach or starving to death. Touka huffed at accidently remembering Kaneki's existence. While walking down her the road home, she smelt the only possible thing that would smell good. Raw human. Human scent was a faint odor that hung around a human thickly, but blood and exposed flesh was a different story. The odor was much more pungent, and as someone who had hunted and eaten humans their entire life, Touka could tell this was the scent of injured human with a faint scent of ghoul lingering around. Dazed she strode forward to the source, unaware of why she was doing so. Not really hungry, although human always smelt good.

Touka paused. This was the 20th ward. Feeding grounds of ghouls. Yet, the longer she lingered the greater she felt the need to beat something up, or eat. Of course she could sneak some out of the storage cabinet or train at the underground dojo and get her ass kicked by Yomo, but with the pent up stress from testing and Yoriko's food as a large catalyst, Touka continued walking down the alley dropping her bags, entranced by the scent of the meal.

It was down a small reclusive alleyway, where a lone ghoul was scarfing down a meal. But not just one body, but three. Touka grimanced, a waste of food, but then widened her eyes and paused as she saw the body of one of the humans. A pure white coat, emblazed into her eyes ever since she was a child. A dove's coat. In the 20th ward there were plenty of unsaid rules.  
Don't break rules or you'll be broken, don't overeat or waste meals, keep a low profile, if you're caught you're on your own, don't bother CCG or Arogri tree or piss 'em off, you get pissed on.  
Of course these rules were broken half the time, but Touka felt the need to beat this guy up. She worked so hard to keep a quiet human life, eat Yoriko's meals, pretend to be nice in front of doves, and give a crap about people at the cafe, and here a non working ghoul binged while innocent ghouls barely ate once a week and yet were treated the same? It was heresy, it was disgusting, how dare they! Touka stalked towards in fiercely burning rage-justice-battle lust. The poor victim turned around, blood dripping down his face and chin, staining his shirt a scarlet red, his sclera black and irises crimson, to look at the predator approaching him. He was weak, Touka was strong, and there was no escape.

"Hey punk, do you think you can get away with binging in this ward?" hissed Touka, cracking her kunckles and her own eyes turning red. The thrill of battle slid over her body, already tensing for the fight. This was the fighting she loved, the fighting her body lived by, the fight she always won. Even against doves, even against the strong, fighting would give her the ultimate freedom.

"Who the 'ell are ya?" slurred the ghoul, the delicious scent of meat wafted into the air, this much could feed the Ateiku for months. Alright, decently sized weeks, but still. Territories were territories but the stronger the ghoul, the more the ghoul could claim. "This is my hunt!"

"I work so hard to be human and keep low and not kill trashy shits like doves, but here you are. . ." Touka ran forward and started beating the poor ghoul senseless. A kick to the body, rapid punches against the face. She was straddling him, breaking bones, breaking his own flesh to release the smell of blood. He was rather weak, despite all his feasting, he was already wheezing and drooling and the next few punches knocked him out senseless. Blood dripping down her knuckles and staining her school uniform Touka sighed and rolled her shoulders. Now what was she going to do? Groaning she took out her phone and dialed Ateiku. "I may have made a simple mistake."

Touka saw no problem with being able to fight, to fight was a show of strength and ability. Some were natural fighters, others trained. To fight was effort. And if you won, it meant you were strong. The thrill of fighting itself was amazing and winning was the satisfaction you could only earn. After all only the strong won, and those who didn't would die, crushed underfoot.  
As winced away from the cellphone she sighed and rolled her shoulders. Another day for Touka.


	2. The Theory of Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You added a sunflower to your party along with bloody Touka! What do you do now.

"Touka, you shouldn't get into heedless fights." sighed the manager as Kaneki opened the shop door. The bell chimed merrily as he entered. Touka was sitting down at the bar, and Kaneki glimsped her rolling her eyes. Kaneki heard a faint, 'yeah, yeah' before heading to the bathroom to change.

After he was in the cafe uniform he stepped out. Touka was glaring at him with bored eyes and the Manager spared him a glance before going to the back. "Welcome Kaneki."

"Thank you, Manager," laughed Kaneki before going behind the bar. There was three or four people in, all with their orders. Probably from before. He greeted Touka, "Hello Touka."

"You're late." was her stiff reply. Kaneki laughed apologetically. At first, he was apologizing all the time until he learned that he did nothing but apologize then he started apologizing less and less.

"Are the finals over for you yet? I've got a week." Kaneki supplied starting the conversation while Touka gazed bored at the door.

"I finished mine today." Touka curtly replied. Kaneki nodded. The door opened. It was Nishiki, in a white lab coat marching in.

"Well, well if it isn't shitty Nishiki." drawled Touka, glaring at the young man.

"Well, hello to you too, shitty Touka." retorted Nishiki with a sneer. Kaneki just grinned halfheartedly at their antics. Nishiki never visited unless he wanted something from the Manager. He was a strange ghoul, trying to be something of a doctor for ghouls and torturing humans and ghouls alike to get answers, or so the Manager said. Touka also apparently had beat out the bad manners out of him so he didn't torture anyone. Or that's what she claimed she did. "I need to talk to the Manager."

"He's in the back." answered Kaneki before Touka could weasel in another insult. Touka was way too confident in her fighting abilities and had some bloodlust as well to top it off. Nishiki brushed by them without another word and disappeared with a silent click of the door.

"By the way did you get this month's rations?" asked Touka suddenly, and Kaneki slowly shook his head. The packet he had received last month had been eaten and he had been using the sugar cubes to stave off the hunger. "We got new stores, go get some before you go crazy on us like last time."

"That was purely an accident." Kaneki explained in a meek voice shaking away the thoughts of the incident. Then he perked up and turned to Touka. "What does this make me? A human who eats humans?"

"You're part ghoul." snapped Touka as if Kaneki was a stupid child asking stupid things and Kaneki shrugged in a very vague way off of suspicious.

"I do wonder. . ." trailed of Kaneki and Touka grunted, refusing a reply. The rest of the day was passed with relative ease until Hide came to visit. Hide was a bright energetic thing and with him around the most mundane and tedious of things could be transformed into an amusing adventure.

"Hey! Kaneki, I'm here to visit." grinned Hide as he entered and immediately took a seat next to Touka. Nervously Kaneki glanced away as Hide animatedly chatted with Touka who was wearily glancing away. He studied the cup on the counter, deep in thought. Kaneki was pretty sure Hide already knew he was a ghoul, all the alarm signs were probably ringing in unison. Kaneki had also measured the cons and the benefits of telling him. Worst case, he would completely break away and tell Kaneki on CCG and put Anteiku under suspicion, best case Hide accepts him.

"Hide, would you please come to the back with me?" asks Kaneki quietly his voice barely straining a note of pleading. Hide's expression turns less cheerful to curious and nods. Kaneki turns pleadingly to Touka, which he could already read ‘bad idea you little shit’ from the glare she was sending him, "Please watch over the bar while I'm gone."

"You better hurry." Touka replies pleasantly, but her expressions clearly read murder in all capital letters. Kaneki rushes Hide in, between her bloodlust and her explosive personality Kaneki knew much better than to piss off someone who had handed you your ass already in four different occasions. Every. Single. DAY.

Kaneki leads Hide to a room and he nervously sits down on the couches, each taking a seat; one fidgeting and the other relaxed. Kaneki rubs his chin absentmindedly and focuses his eyes on Hide's face. Hide breaks the silence. "So, why'd you bring me here? Does it have to do with your recent behavior changes?"

Kaneki almost winced. Hide was way too sharp to be underestimated. Sighing, Kaneki folded his hands and turned to face Hide, "Hide, am-"

"In love with Touka?" Hide seriously faced Kaneki, who had turned a deep red that fits a tomato more than a human. Hide laughs and Kaneki melts into his chair, "I was just kidding! Although I might be right, eh?"

"H-hide, please." begs Kaneki, covering his face with his hands. Hide laughs even more at his reaction. But then quickly sobers up and replies with another heart dropping sentence.

"That you're a ghoul?" Kaneki freezes and pales, blush gone as well. Hide was staring at him with such a solemn and serious face, Kaneki knew it wasn't a joke. Hide leaned back into the couch. "I suspected that you were after the operation, I had no idea until I recently searched about ghouls."

"So, you knew, huh." Kaneki looked up, his face emotionless and his voice quiet. Hide managed a small grin.

"Yup!"

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Kaneki's voice turned more menacing, yet still had a quiet tone. Hide shook his head and mimed zipping his lips up.

"You're my friend Kaneki." Hide grins, and leaned over and pats him on the shoulder, looking him into his eyes. "Besides, I don't have enough information to judge you."

A loud series of footsteps was heard outside the door It sounded like someone was running. Kaneki and Hide turned to the door. Kaneki froze, this was bad. Someone could have eavesdropped and now wanted to kill Hide, and there were only a few people in the back. There was Kaneki and Hide, Nishiki and the Manager, Hinami. Kaneki rushed out the door and went to Touka, who looked still bored, but there was slight interest in her face.

"Touka, did you see anyone?" panted Kaneki, looking around rapidly. Touka frowned but nodded.

"Yeah, shitty Nishiki left." she answered him, looking even more confused, and peering over his shoulder where Hide was walking up. "Why?"

Kaneki felt like cursing. Hide and Nishiki knew each other, and when Kaneki saw Touka and Nishiki spar, he knew Nishiki wasn't the type to take chances. He had already proven so in their past meetings. He would kill Hide to insure safety. He had to convince Nishiki otherwise. Kaneki hurried back, ignoring Touka's question gaze, herding Hide back into the room.

"Listen to what I'm saying very closely, can you trust me?" Kaneki whispered, closing the door to the room. Kaneki felt like pacing but instead he clamped his hands around Hide's shoulder who looked taken aback by the physical contact.

"Yeah?" his words were questioning, Hide was his friend, he could trust him, they had always been friends.

"Do you trust me as a friend?" Kaneki whispered even more harshly.

"Yes, Kaneki! What is it?" asked Hide, a bit nervous and concerned, but mainly more serious and curious. His curiosity was overwhelming anything else, however. "You're making a guy reaaally nervous here."

"Nishiki sempai is a ghoul and he probably wants to kill you." Kaneki told Hide, who just stared before raising a single eyebrow. He blinked rapidly. Then narrowed his eyes and finally ended with a shrug.

"Well, I'm going to die aren't I then?" he replied, and Kaneki furiously shook his head and glared at him. He wrung his fingers and started muttering.

"Well, of course not! Imagine it, you dying, no way!" he hissed frantically as Touka started making her way to them looking like an avenging angel. "There must be a way, I mean it's Nishiki right? He's a scientist, surely with a logical appeal or emotional appeal- there must be some effect on him. We go to the same school-but if somehow we could grab in a public place. . .no, no, no too risky, it'd be better if we got rid of the problem, I mean-"

"Woah there," Hide snapped his finger under Kaneki's noise, and Kaneki gave a little start and turned to stare at Hide. "End the problem? I hope that's not me. You can't do that to the world, the world would be missing this fab thing." Hide gestured vaguely to his face and Kaneki gave him a look, a mix of amused and a deadpan.

"What. Problem." Touka had her arms crossed, feet planted over the exit and was glaring coldly down at the two. While she was only a bit taller than Kaneki which meant a bit taller than Hide, she seemed to tower over them with the tiny millimeter gain over the two. Hide laughed nervously, but still very unafraid while Kaneki shrugged and withered. "Kaneki. . . ."

Her tone was dangerously stressed, very dangerously. Kaneki stepped forward, trying to hide his terror and maintain a composed look. "Yes Touka?" an unworried simple reply, good.

"What is this problem?" Touka asked, her voice threatening. She was eyeing Hide in particular as if he was something annoying, but not too threatening. It was akin to a cat when it had gotten sprayed by water and was now preparing to pounce on the offending person who did it. "You've got 10 seconds."

Kaneki wondered what he could say to her without making the situation worse. If she really deemed Hide a threat Nishiki would no longer have to worry about the cheerful human with the secret anymore. And obviously Kaneki did not want that, and there was very little chance he would actually be able to hold against a berserker like Touka. He opened his mouth but Hide beat him to the punch.

"You see, Kaneki told me everything." Hide told her, too relaxed and Kaneki shot him a glare saying, ‘wtf dude’. Hide slung an arm over Kaneki who was glaring at him and was poking him repeatedly in the back, "Now let's all talk in the back, shall we?"

"What about the-" started Kaneki, if they left then nobody would be out for shift.

"Fine, a quick chat." agreed Touka, probably seething inside.

"The counter is empt-" Kaneki tried again, halfway into the hall.

"Yes, it'll be very fast." agreed Hide, Kaneki's words flying right over their heads. He groaned.

They were back in the room, Touka standing by the door and only exit if you weren't desperate enough to count the window as a decent getaway, Kaneki twitching by the couch with Hide sitting in the couch.

"What's up with all of you? It's like someone ate your last slice of pi- er, what's with all this fuss?" Hide tried joking, Kaneki could hear the way he immediately backtracked from the joke and rather awkwardly, realizing Kaneki was a ghoul and probably suspecting Touka was also a ghoul. No human food references. "Come on, Kaneki my dear love, please don't tell me. . .You're going to leave me for Touka!?"

Hide faked a look of sheer horror and fake gasped. Kaneki managed a small smile and rolled his eyes, and then quipped back, "Well Touka here is fair, generous, and can give you a beating to last a lifetime, what mor- ok stopping there." Kaneki saw the blank look Touka was giving him.

"You better not, and although I have to agree, Touka-chan here is a fair madien and what more could capture the heart of a ghoul than another fair ghoul itself." grinned Hide while crossing his legs and looking right a Touka. Kaneki stared wide eyed from Hide to Touka.

"You told him." Touka crossed her arms and started tapping her feet. She didn't look particularly irritated, but that meant nothing. He had once seen her beat a ghoul bloody with a pleasant smile. So, before Kaneki could even think of a decent excuse, he blurted out a spout of words.

"Touka, Hide here is a human friend that has been friends with me since I was like four-" Kaneki started and Hide muttered in the background, “Five actually”, "And he can't tell, first of all we have him under surveillance we both go to Kamii, and Hide probably already suspected me" Hide muttered, “I did”, "And having a human work at Anteiku would be the best action. Imagine a human working in an all ghoul employed cafe," Hide snapped and stared at Kaneki with wide eyes, 'Say what now?', "Please Touka, Hide won't tell."

"And if he does?" Touka asked, coldly. "What if he reports all of us to CCG, what happens to Anteiku, what happens to the 20th ward?"

"Touka-chan," Hide interrupted, raising a hand like he was in school. He wore a familiar grin that Kaneki knew from their long years of close and mysterious friendship. "I won't tell I promise you, cross my heart and swear to die, you can kill me in fact." Kaneki glared at him, "In fact I'll work for the ghoul's side from now on. Imagine having a human spy in CCG reporting for you?"

"WHAT?!" screeched Kaneki and Touka in unison.

"Are you frickin' kidding me?" Touka shouted, her hands uncrossed, her face changed into a horrible look of rage. Kaneki looked pale and more worried.

"Hide! Don't say crazy things!" Kaneki scolded, looking more like a worried mother than someone who was supposed to consoling an insane person, like Hide for example.

Hide stood up and smiled cheerfully. "I'm so glad my friends are caring for me, oh Kaneki I always knew you would, and thank you Touka, for caring for me as well, I know It's hard to bear the brunt of my genius id-" Touka walked up to him and hit him on the head. "Owww!"

Touka's face had the look of dismayed disgust, "Kaneki why do you bring all the wierdos?"

"I never inte-" started Kaneki dutifully, giving Hide a withering glare while he rubbed his hands on his head."-nded to."

"It's a special skill and I'm his best friend!" Hide whined, giving Touka a pout which she returned with another disgusted look. Hide sighed and rolled his eyes.

"How about I work at Anteiku for a while, and then I work at CCG. I can work backstage from there and keep you guys all the safer, and the rest of the workers." Hide offered, his most genuine and relaxed smile on. He offered a hand to Touka.

"Hide. . ." Kaneki muttered. It was amazing Hide already thought of this, and he was supporting him as a ghoul, knowing he ate humans and probably to a ghoul that ate and killed humans. Kaneki let himself grin widely, Hide was a godsend.

Touka raised a hand then slapped his away. She sighed, drawing in air, "ARE YOU-"

"Oh, hello Hide." the Manager opened the door, and Touka paused midbreath in surprise and started coughing. "I see, Kaneki?"

"Yes, sir?" responded Kaneki, absent of any fear. "I'm guessing you overheard?"

"Touka screaming it out and the abandoned counter got my attention" he dryly told the three. Kaneki was giving pointed glances at Touka who bowed her head sheepishly and Hide who chuckled. "Well, Kaneki, do you really trust Hide not to tell?" Kaneki smiled and nodded. Hide also cheekily grins and drapes an arm over his shoulder. Then he turns to Hide, "And you, young man?"

"Of course, I'm a friend so close that he lets me borrow his books, and let me tell you, he never lets ANYONE borrow his precious." he annouces proudly, and Kaneki gives him a look.

"No, never, you kidnap them Hide, I don't trust them with you." corrected Kaneki, hiding an amused smile. Kaneki felt his mouth water slightly and stilled a flinch. Hide smelled absolutely divine. Almost immediately Hide glanced at him and moved away from him. Kaneki looked away. The scent of human was almost like a dream. Kaneki absently thinks back to the time where he had feasted on raw meat when he went crazy, he touched his bottom lip. It was delicious flesh.

"So, may we sit down and converse?" asked the Manager, Touka looked like she wanted to argue, but grudgingly shut her mouth and sat down. "I see, Hide since when did you have suspicions about Anteiku?"

"Ever since the moment I blacked out after meeting Nishiki and you told me I had gotten into an accident." replied Hide without missing a beat, his lips were in an easy smile, but his face was serious. "I didn't say anything about the situation, but there was something wrong going on. I can recall Nishiki's face change and of course the strange feeling that made me want to run away."

"Killing instinct." muttered Touka, staring at Hide intently. Kaneki could see some of the tension was gone, but she was still tense enough to snap, just not at any second.

"Are you alright with selling your race out to ghouls, the very creatures that eat and slaughter your race? The monsters you so fear?" asked the Manager. Kaneki realized how old and tired he sounded, how sorrowful the man was. But for whom, Kaneki did not know. Hide wiped the smile off, his serious side reappeared, a sudden backlash from the easygoing relaxed Hide.

"Personally, I'm willing to support ghouls. You guys still feel emotion like any other human." Hide responded, his gaze straight onto the manger. "In fact, if pigs could talk and feel emotions like humans, wouldn't we, the humans become the monsters? All I care at this point is to support Kaneki and help him. I don't want him to be alone." Hide smiled, wide and cheerful. "Aren’t that what friends are for?"

Kaneki stared at Hide, somehow, he felt like he changed something and did something unnatural. He revealed something to Hide that could kill him while he was involved than if he had remained blissfully unaware. He would have been able to live longer than the life Kaneki was pushing him into.

But friends were to support and tell each other their secrets. This way was much better, or so Kaneki tried to convince himself.


End file.
